HMS Hawkins (D86)

Hawkins, 23 May 1942
History
United Kingdom
Name	Hawkins
Namesake	Admiral Sir John Hawkins
Ordered	December 1915
Builder	Chatham Dockyard
Laid down	3 June 1916
Launched	1 October 1917
Commissioned	23 July 1919
Out of service	May 1945
Identification	Pennant number: 8A (1919);[1] 86 (1920); I86 (1938); D86 (1940)[2]
Fate	Sold for scrap, 26 August 1947
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	Hawkins-class heavy cruiser
Displacement	9,800 long tons (10,000 t) (standard) 12,110 long tons (12,300 t) (deep load)
Length	605 ft 1.5 in (184.4 m) (o/a)
Beam	65 ft (19.8 m)
Draught	19 ft 3 in (5.9 m) (deep load)
Installed power	12 × Yarrow boilers 60,000 shp (45,000 kW)
Propulsion	4 × shafts; 4 × geared steam turbines
Speed	30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range	5,640 nmi (10,450 km; 6,490 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	712
Armament	7 × single 7.5 in (191 mm) guns 6 × single 3 in (76 mm) low-angle guns 4 × single 3 in AA guns 2 × single 2-pdr (1.6 in (40 mm)) AA guns 6 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour	Belt: 1.5–3 in (38–76 mm) Deck: 1–1.5 in (25–38 mm) Gun shields: 1 in (25 mm)
General characteristics (May 1942)
Installed power	8 × Yarrow boilers 55,000 shp (41,000 kW)
Speed	29.5 knots (54.6 km/h; 33.9 mph)
Range	6,768 nmi (12,534 km; 7,788 mi) at 10 knots
Sensors and processing systems	1 × Type 281 early-warning radar 1 × Type 273 surface-search radar 2 × Type 285 fire-control radars
Armament	7 × single 7.5 in (191 mm) guns 4 × single 4 in (102 mm) AA guns 2 × quadruple, 2 × single 2-pdr AA guns 7 × 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon AA guns

HMS Hawkins was the lead ship of her class of five heavy cruisers built for the Royal Navy during the First World War, although the ship was not completed until 1919. She was assigned to the China Station until 1928 and was briefly assigned to the Atlantic Fleet in 1929–1930, always serving as a flagship, before being placed in reserve. Hawkins was recommissioned in 1932 for service on the East Indies Station, but returned to reserve three years later. The ship was disarmed in 1937–1938 and converted into a cadet training ship in 1938.

When the Second World War began in 1939, the Royal Navy decided to reconvert her back into a heavy cruiser and her original armament was reinstalled. Hawkins reentered service in early 1940 and was assigned to the South Atlantic Division where she patrolled for Axis commerce raiders and escorted convoys. The following year, she was transferred to the Indian Ocean where she played a small role in the East African campaign in early 1941. At the end of the year, the ship returned home for a lengthy refit. Upon its completion in mid-1942, Hawkins was assigned to the Eastern Fleet and resumed her former roles of patrolling and escort duty for the next two years.

The ship returned to the UK in early 1944 to participate in Operation Neptune, the naval portion of the invasion of Normandy in June. She bombarded German coastal defences on 6 June, but was paid off in July. The Royal Navy decided to convert her back into a training ship while she was under repair, but that work was cancelled in 1945. Hawkins was placed back in reserve that year and was used for bombing trials in 1947. The vessel was sold for scrap later that year.